The City University of New York Athletic Conference and the U.S. Army have announced the 2013 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Stars. Medgar Evers' Elston Alexis earned the Performer of the Year Award while York's Shaquille Hodge took home Rookie of the Year. CCNY's Garnet Vanterpool garnered the Sportsmanship Award while his Head Coach Hugh Reid was named Coach of the Year.
Alexis finished first in the Shot Put (14.61m), Discus Throw (36.99), and Javelin Throw (51.90) at the CUNYAC Championship. The senior racked up 30 individual points for the Cougars, who took home the bronze medal.
"I grateful of the award and this is a symbol that hard work pays off," said Alexis. “No reward is earned without labor.”
Hodge of York accumulated 24 individual points at the CUNYAC Championships. The freshman placed first in the 200 Meter Dash, second in the 100 Meter Dash, and third in the 400 Meter Dash.
"When I started the year, my times weren't that fast but my coaches' workouts really helped," said Hodge. "I saw my times getting faster each meet. I just hope to keep improving in the future and help our team win a CUNY Championship."
CCNY’s Vanterpool always displays sportsmanship and strives to make his teammates better despite only being a sophomore. At the CUNYAC Championship, he took home gold in the 400 Meter Dash and silver in the 200 Meter Dash. In team events, the sophomore finished first in both the 4X100 Meter and 4X400 Meter Relays.
"I am a believer," Vanterpool said. "In life I do not see impossibilities. All season I tried to encourage and support my teammates, to show them that all thinks are possible if they worked hard and believed in themselves and in each other. This award is not an individual award to me, it represents a compilation of efforts from each and ever one of my teammates.
With the help of Coach Reid, CCNY won their third straight CUNYAC championship. Reid’s team beat out Medgar Evers with a 62 point margin of victory. He has built a successful program that brings quality Track and Field athletes to CCNY.
"It is an honor to have been selected coach of the year by my peers," said Reid. "This award is a reflection of our overall team dedication, focus and effort. Every athlete on my team made this year special and unique, and for that I want to thank them. In recognition of their hard work, we accomplished success on a conference, regional, and national level. I am glad to have done my part, and want to also thank my assistant coaches for their time, patience, and contributions. Without them this would not have been possible."
Performer of the Year - Elston Alexis, Medgar Evers
Rookie of the Year - Shaquille Hodge, York
Coach of the Year - Hugh Reid, CCNY
Sportsmanship - Garnet Vanterpool, CCNY
All-Stars
Jemaal Alexander, CCNY
Steve Baker, CCNY
Anthony Barnes, CCNY
Robens Bien-Aime, CCNY
Peter Dehayza, CCNY
Donald Dibari, CCNY
Theirry Diessongo, CCNY
Johnathan Elysee, CCNY
Christopher Laing, CCNY
Bassit Malam, CCNY
Samuel Nkama, CCNY
Bertrand Oubida, CCNY
Garnet Vanterpool, CCNY
John Aiken, Hunter
Mickail Castro, Hunter
Javier Levy, Hunter
Christian Rojas, Hunter
Luka Spionjak, Hunter
Elston Alexis, Medgar Evers
Leston Alexis, Medgar Evers
Jomo Bullen, Medgar Evers
Kadeem Campbell, Medgar Evers
Wendal Davis, Medgar Evers
Junior Kennedy, Medgar Evers
Mark Lord, Medgar Evers
Steve Burnett, York
Shaquille Hodge, York
Jesus Medina, York
Christopher Peguero, York
Jason Shaw, York
Michael Camacho, KCC
Kester Chase, KCC
Amin Garcia, KCC
Joshua Parke, KCC
Calvin Crawford, QCC
Nathan Cyrille, QCC
David Johnson, QCC
Kevin Lopez, QCC
Zachary Merced, QCC
Jovanni Parkinson, QCC
Fritz-Michael Parkinson, QCC
Joe Zempolteca, QCC